Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In a dismal manner; with gloom or sorrow; cheerlessly; depressingly.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb In a dismal manner; gloomily; sorrowfully; uncomfortably.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb In a dismal manner

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb in a cheerless manner
  • adverb in a dreadful manner

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word dismally.

Examples

  • Down in the valley the coyotes called dismally, with that infinite shrill sadness of wild things that hunger, and in their wailing pulsed the eternal and unanswerable "Why?" challenging the peaceful stars.

    Overland Red A Romance of the Moonstone Cañon Trail Henry Herbert Knibbs 1909

  • Leaders from the Thabo Mbeki era failed "dismally" to deal with divisions in the ANC, Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan said, the

    ANC Daily News Briefing 2008

  • Durban, Mangaliso Kubheka, attacked government policies on land reform and said it had failed "dismally" to protect the landless, in particular farm labourers.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 2001

  • Provincial health spokesman Tsepo Moshima said hospital superintendents had failed "dismally" to keep track of actual work performed by contract doctors.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1998

  • Education MEC Dr Vincent Zulu had failed "dismally" to integrate the five agency departments into one provincial education department.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1996

  • a typically North Country autumnal morning, cold, raw, rainy; the tops of the neighbouring hills were capped with dark clouds; sea-birds called dismally across the heather; the sea, seen in glimpses through vistas of fir and pine, looked angry and threatening.

    Scarhaven Keep 1899

  • EE in business 'dismal' Businesses are performing "dismally" when it comes to implementing equality in the workplace.

    iac world news feed 2010

  • EE in business 'dismal' Businesses are performing "dismally" when it comes to implementing equality in the workplace.

    iac world news feed 2010

  • EE in business 'dismal' Businesses are performing "dismally" when it comes to implementing equality in the workplace.

    iac world news feed 2010

  • Businesses are performing "dismally" when it comes to implementing equality in the workplace.

    iac world news feed 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.